So why did I spend my weekend tweeting about what was going on? Because, somehow, I found an audience. Having reported from the Hill before and having studied Congress in-depth in college, I felt qualified to tweet about, explain and analyze what was going on.

I follow a bunch of Capitol Hill reporters, and when they tweeted news or unique analysis, I retweeted them to share with everyone. I also follow “official” accounts — those of spokespeople and members of Congress themselves. There was news to be retweeted there as well.

The debt debate is a perfect example of the old saying that Congress is a sausage factory. But, people seemed to enjoy my tweets about it. So I kept going.

Not only did my following grow on Twitter, but I was thanked and complimented lots. People also asked me questions, and I answered to the best of my ability.

Community building is a term that’s thrown around a lot on this blog and elsewhere, and to me it’s kind of cliche, but this really was a perfect example of it.

I felt that my tweeting contributed to the community. At the same time, I benefited from the contributions of others on Twitter who had their own unique news and insights to share about the debate.